This is my October monthly submission for the traditional department. I couldn't spend as much time as I would have liked to on the top half, mainly on the clouds as it's sort of unfinished. I chose utopia and this drawing portrays something similar to the mermaid lagoon which was a place I dreamt of living in as my utopia which is why I chose a drawing which plays around with the water, and the flowy feeling that the mermaid lagoon has.
Hi Lily - Thanks for sharing such an amazing art piece! As a person who loves the ocean, I can totally relate to your idea of what utopia would be. I love that there is a great balance of round, soft-looking objects like bubbles and rather artificial, sharp objects like the tower. The presence of such buildings gives the drawing a good amount of futuristic vibes, I believe! You mentioned that you feel like the clouds are unfinished. If I were you, I would have made the background darker, so that I can rub out some part with an eraser to depict clouds. Maybe adding highlights to it with a white pencil. That way, I think the clouds will look a lot more like they're flowing, as they won't have any defined edges. Also, I think you should add more shadow to your drawing. I started going along the stairs on the bottom, wondering where it led me. But I immediately got lost (I get lost so easily in real life - my rule is not to turn at more than 2 corners so I'll only have 9 patterns of ways to try to get back to where I originally was.) If your purpose was to establish a labyrinth, I think you've done a really good job. But if not, please make it easier for people like me - I think you should be more bold adding shadows to curves, cliffs, and buildings. If my art teacher had taught me anything - she really didn't - you should add more shadow than you need, and then add some light to your drawing using an eraser or white pencil. If you look at masterpieces, they're overall really dark. I attached a few images below - hope it helps!